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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

#15Cheesecakes: Everyday Cheesecake

So.

You know how I entered new territory this year with blog events? They're way fun, and keep me on track with my cooking. I've been pleased to be a part of events coordinated by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. She's always organized and a great person to work with!

When Cam posted that she was celebrating her 15th wedding anniversary with a blog party of 15 cheesecakes, I waffled about whether or not to join. It's not that it didn't sound fun, it's just what was a going to do with a whole cheesecake?

J and I have dessert or at least a treat most nights after dinner. With a dessert that serves 12, we'd be eating it forever, and while cheesecake is good, a little goes a long way. But my mom was coming for the weekend, so that was 2 servings down, and perhaps I could send some home with her too.

Then I got smart. I got on Pinterest, and searched "small cheesecake". not mini cheesecake (which definitely has a place too), but a small one that would be all the beauty of cheesecake without all the servings.

Enter this recipe. It takes only 1 package of cream cheese, and comes together fast. It's great alone, but we all talked about how amazing it would be with a fresh raspberry sauce. Frankly, it's easy enough for everyday...but you could totally serve it to company too. And even better? It makes 6 servings. Just enough for J, mom and me for 2 meals.

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix together all crust ingredients and press into a 9" pie pan.
2. Make the filling: Cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Mix until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined.
3. Pour filling over crust and bake at 325F for 25 minutes, until set.
4. While cheesecake bakes, stir together sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spread topping over baked cheesecake, and then return to oven for 10 minutes.
5. Allow to cool for 1 hour on a wire rack before refrigerating for at least 2 hours before serving.

This was supposed to be 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs until I came home and discovered that I had 5 graham crackers (that made 1/2 a cup of crumbs, by the way). I replaced the rest with breadcrumbs and a little cinnamon. It was after I pressed it into the pan that I thought of the nut meal, which I have in my freezer. My pie pan is a deep dish, so I tried to keep the crust as even as I could, but I knew it wasn't going to make it to the top of the pan.

I look at this picture, and I think that the filling looks reeeeally yellow. But in the final product, it was yellow. At least, more yellow than the topping.

I spread the topping over the cake, and put it back in the oven. The nice thing about this cheesecake? No cracking. And frankly, the topping would have hidden it anyway.

Yum. This is refreshingly tart, and begs for fresh fruit. But it's also good alone. Happy anniversary Cam! J, the cats and I wish you all the best, 15 more years of happiness so we can celebrate with cheesecake again!!

I'm doing the same thing- trying to branch out and get connected with other bloggers by cooking/baking together. It's been great fun! So happy you decided to join us for this party...your cheesecake looks so good! It looks so creamy and I love how you made up for the graham crackers. Great idea. :)

About Me

In 1200 characters, I could say quite a bit. I'm early 40s, married, not enough time to do the things in life that I love. But I do enjoy cooking, travel, and sleeping. Especially sleeping...but that goes without saying.
I'm always on the lookout for great new recipes to try, fun new experiences to do, and finding a new place to nap...all with my husband.